Afroverse Poetry Night Provides a Safe Space for Creatives of Color

Vladimir “Vlad” Jean addresses the crowd before kicking off open mic. Photography by Thomas Walsh / Basement Flavor.

What do you get when you combine community, connection, authenticity and vulnerability with unapologetic Blackness? Some would argue Afroverse and its founder, Vladimir Jean.

“But Vlad works just fine,” he says.

Every month, Vlad, a first-generation Haitian-American born in Providence, transforms Hide Speakeasy beneath The George into Afroverse, a poetry night dedicated to amplifying the voices of marginalized groups.

“There is … something special about a room full of brown and Black people who are expressing themselves,” he says.

Poetry has been Vlad’s passion since middle school. But it wasn’t until 2019 that he started performing his poetry at open mics. From there, he formed connections and relationships with people in the poetry scene, which led to him hosting his own poetry night at Providence’s Hide Speakeasy in August 2023. Afroverse has been a staple there ever since.

Violet Smith performs her poem, “Sope,” for the first time, which captures the memory and emotional rollercoaster of falling in love with a girl for the first time in high school. Photography by Thomas Walsh / Basement Flavor.

You know you’ve entered Afroverse as soon as you walk through the speakeasy’s secluded door. A wave of R-and-B, hip-hop or the latest Bad Bunny song hits you from the speaker. Loud conversations and infectious laughter fill the air. People hug their friends and introduce themselves to new faces. Vlad makes his rounds too, greeting nearly everyone with a warm, toothy smile and a dap (a friendly greeting).

Vlad always kicks off the open mic with one or two of his own poems. It’s his way of making the other performers feel more comfortable by relieving them of the pressure of going first.

As other poets perform, the audience is accepting and open to receiving any and all stories of love, heartache, race, gender and more. If someone stutters or messes up, the crowd is encouraging: “You got this!” and “Safe space!” are yelled out followed by applause. That’s what happened to Violet Smith after her voice cracked during her performance.

“I didn’t feel judged,” Smith says. “I felt like I was speaking to a room of friends.”

Afroverse takes place at Hide Speakeasy, which offers cocktails, beer, wine, food and dessert. Photography by Thomas Walsh / Basement Flavor.

Sara Monteiro from the South Side of Providence attends Afroverse whenever she can get a babysitter. She doesn’t go to perform, but to support poetry and platforms that promote equity.

“I love that poetry is this world where there isn’t hierarchy, there isn’t classism, there isn’t all of these things. It’s just, if you have a story, you tell it,” she says. “Afroverse has committed itself to being that platform and I hope that it continues to be that because people need those messages of inclusion.”

Interested in signing up for open mic? Visit afroversepvd.com.